Not Our Neck Of The Woods
by Bandicoot Sauce
Summary: When Link's train breaks down on a section of track that's off the beaten path, he and an uneasy Princess Zelda must make the best of a bad situation… by spending a night in the woods. Set after Spirit Tracks.
1. The Apprentice

**Not Our Neck Of The Woods**

Act I: The Apprentice

As the Spirit Train pulled out of Castle Town Station, Princess Zelda stood in the doorway at the front of the passenger car, her hands clasped together as she gazed upon the engineer of the locomotive. Or rather _tried_ to gaze upon him. The young man - more of a boy, really - had his back to his lone passenger as he concentrated on managing the on-rail vehicle, and he was also partially obscured by the heavy artillery cannon that sat on two wheels between the passenger car and the engine.

As far as Zelda was concerned, Link was as efficient and charming as the train he operated. He wasn't charming in that 'sweep you off your feet' kind of way, but in that sweet-natured and humble kind of way. From what little the Princess of New Hyrule could see of the dedicated engineer, he was still clad in that lime green tunic and hat she herself had picked out for him, seeming to have long-since foregone his smart, dark blue engineer uniform despite having it readily waiting in the wings. This was the first time Zelda had found herself in his company since… Well, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her previous time with Link an out-of-body experience, to say the least.

Glancing down at the couplings that kept the passenger car and cannon attached to one another, watching said couplings shake and rattle in time with the train's movements made the figure of royalty gulp nervously. She then shook her head, trying to usher her concerns away. She needed to have courage; the kind Link undoubtedly had. Pulling the folds of her flowing pink dress up slightly so as not to catch it on anything, Zelda started forward, stepping out of the safety of the carriage and onto the decidedly rickety (and noticeably small) platform of sorts that the cannon stood erected upon, her fancy shoes not exactly having the firmest of grips upon the smooth surface. The train shook suddenly as it went over a faint bump in the tracks and Zelda gave a cry of alarm, losing her balance and instinctively reaching out to wrap her arms around the cannon's tall, wooden support just in time, for if she hadn't steadied herself, she would surely have been sent sprawling off the train, perhaps even getting caught under it and… Zelda shivered at that thought. It was, to put simply, not a prospect worth dwelling on.

Pressing onward, though not daring to let go of the cannon as she made her way around it, the princess finally arrived in the locomotive's cab, Link still with his back to her as he worked the throttle, shifted a few levers, adjusted a few dials and otherwise engaged in a complex ritual that Zelda could scarcely follow or make sense of, reluctant as she was to admit that fact. She had seen Link operate this machine a hundred times over, yet she had never thought to memorise any of it lest she ever find herself in a situation where she had to work the controls? There were times when having grown up in the lap of luxury made Zelda sick at herself…

"Link… Thank you for this," she said, just loud enough for the boy to hear over the chugging of the train and the hissing of its equipment. She was referring to how Link had taken time off from work to take her for a private train ride for old time's sake.

"The pleasure's mine, Zelda," the engineer said offhandedly, his focus still not wavering from the task at hand. He then realised what he was saying. "Zelda!" he exclaimed, whirling around to face her, his cat-like eyes wide with bewilderment. "How…? I mean, how did you get into the cab?"

"I climbed around the cannon," Zelda stated, putting on a proud, confident facade. After all, there was no need for Link to know that she had very nearly slipped right off the train.

"Zelda, that was really dangerous," Link told her firmly. "What if you had fallen and hurt yourself, or worse? I mean, you're the only Princess this kingdom's got! And… Well… You're one of the only real friends _I've_ got." he admitted in a quiet mumble, turning away for a moment as he said that last part.

"Well, I only wanted to show you how grateful I am," Zelda said somewhat apologetically. "Not many can make time for a Princess."

Link perked up a little at that, raising his eyebrows as he turned to face his passenger once more. "Isn't that the other way around?" he asked, smirking slyly.

"Oh, clam up," Zelda replied, putting her hands on her hips, but in spite of her attempt to pout, she had a small smile on her face, knowing that Link was right in a sense. Link, on his part, chuckled, aware of how sassy and hot-headed the Princess could be at times.

"Well, like I said, I'm just glad to have you aboard, Your Majesty," he said. His words were truthful, but he couldn't help adding a light, playful touch of mockery as he said the words 'Your Majesty'. Zelda might have been the Princess of New Hyrule, but after their journeys together, she would always be so much more than a figure of royalty to him. She was indispensable for reasons that had nothing to do with her heritage. There was no one quite like her in Link's eyes; a one-of-a-kind friend whom he was proud to know and always glad to share the company of. "Still, I should stop the train and see you safely back to the passenger car. The engineer's cab is no place for a Princess."

Zelda frowned slightly. "Oh?" she said, folding her arms. "And just what do you mean by _that_ , my dear Royal Engineer?"

"I'm not implying anything, honest!" Link assured her, a little alarmed at her reaction. "I just meant that it gets pretty hot in here after a while, and as a one-man crew, I need to alternate from managing the levers and dials to shovelling coal at regular intervals," he said, gesturing to the narrow, bucket-like rectangular attachment at the foot of the front of the cannon, which held a fair amount of coal pieces and a small shovel; more of a spade than a shovel, really. "It'd be a shame to get that beautiful dress of yours dirty."

"Dirt? Ha! What's a little dirt?" Zelda declared, trying to sound tough. "And I've been in this cab heaps of times!"

"As a spirit," Link reminded her. "You couldn't feel the temperature as a spirit without a vessel. When you're very much alive, however, you find yourself sweltering very quickly when driving a train. There have been times when I had to pull over and get out for a few minutes to stop myself passing out."

"Then we'll split the work load! I'll shovel the coal and you work the bellows or whatever you call it!" Zelda insisted, her eyes filled with determination and a thirst to prove herself as something more than just a delicate girl in a pretty dress. "It'll keep us busy and take our minds off the heat!"

"Oh, boy…" Link said, suppressing an exasperated sigh. Experience had taught him that once Zelda had an idea in her head, there was no talking her out of it. "A Princess shovelling coal. This should be a treat," he muttered knowingly.

"What was that?"

Link shook his head, conveying that it was unimportant. "Okay, you can stay in the cab and help," he said at last. "But remember: I'm the engineer of this train and that means I'm in charge. And that, by extension, means you have to follow my orders for as long as you're the fireman. Fire _woman_ , I guess I should say. In other words, when you're in the cab of this engine, you're not a Princess - you're my subordinate, or my apprentice. You okay with that?"

"If it means I can help, then yes," Zelda replied confidently, seeming to puff herself up to look all impressive and important. Link turned away, smirking.

"Alright, then. Rookie!" the boy barked very suddenly, making the princess jump slightly. "Man that shovel! I want four helpings of coal! _On the double_ , if you please!"

A little bewildered, Zelda turned and picked up the shovel and dug it into the pile of dark, stone-like objects and hastily shuffled over to the locomotive's furnace, dropping a few coal pieces on the cab floor as she went. She hastily picked them up and tossed them into the boiler after the others.

"Keep 'em coming," Link said sharply as he turned his attention to the engine's interface of levers, gears and valves once more, pulling this and adjusting that. He then looked back at the princess and felt a faint stab of pity and guilt. He didn't like being harsh, especially not with Zelda of all people, but having trained under Alfonzo's command, the boy in green had inherited some of his mentor's habits. This was actually the first time Link had an extra pair of hands on the job, and having been his own boss for sometime now, he could only assume that the same level of discipline was needed when commanding a trainee of sorts. Still, his next words were a little more gentle, a little more like his usual self. "And Zelda?"

"Yeah?" Zelda grunted as she lifted another shovelful of coal and started over.

"Let me know when you've had enough."

Zelda snorted. "Ha! Not likely. Link, I swear as Princess of New Hyrule that there is nothing in this world that can make me admit to you that I can't take anymore."

 _Exactly fifteen minutes later…_

"Liiiiink!" Zelda called in what sounded almost like a wail.

"Yeah?" Link called back as he turned the steam valve.

"I can't take anymore!" the girl moaned, sounding pathetic, and turning to check on her, Link decided that she certainly _looked_ pathetic. Her forehead and flowing blonde hair were utterly drenched in sweat from the heat generated by the boiler's furnace, and her face and her dress had a hearty layer of coal dust and soot on them. This image, coupled with the look on her face, made Zelda look like a sad clown, and even though Link felt sorry for her, he couldn't help but laugh; it was an adorably priceless sight to behold.

"Alright, rookie, take five," he said, again speaking in that forced strict tone, though he was shaking his head in mild amusement regardless. "I think you've done a good enough job for today."

Zelda just moaned, taking a seat, realising too late that she had just placed her rear end in the coal tender, leading her outfit to be covered in even more coal dust. Her once pink dress was now mostly black, and it was all she could do not to break down into tears at how much she had gotten outside of her comfort zone. All her big talk had not paid off and the realisation of such was hitting her hard.

"Hey," Link said more gently, having walked over. He lifted the girl's chin gently and smiled warmly at her. "I mean it. You did good."

Zelda sniffed. "For a woman, you mean."

"No. You lasted more than twice as long as I did when I started out. I wanted to quit after five minutes, but Alfonzo wouldn't hear of it. He was insistent on toughening me up. And now look at you," he said, beaming. "I've never seen anyone other than Alfonzo tough it out like that with such persistence. You're really something, princess."

Zelda smiled in spite of herself, feeling a little better at the engineer's words. She then glanced out the side of the cab, noticing that they were now heading into a forest. She grimaced slightly; she wasn't a fan of forests. They tended to be a little creepy…

"Hey, Link, where are we actually going?" she asked.

"You let me worry about that," Link said, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he shifted the train into high gear, the transport beginning to pick up speed as engineer and Princess proceeded into the shade of the trees…


	2. The Bandit

Act II: The Bandit

The woods were shady in every sense of the word; the leaves of the trees that stood on either side of the tracks offered shielding from the bright afternoon sunlight, but the shadows they cast gave the impression that something - many somethings, in fact - hid in the gloom. Zelda turned away from the natural scenery, feeling, perhaps foolishly, that many pairs of non-Hylian eyes were staring at her from the shadows, leering at her. The Princess of New Hyrule turned her attention back to a certain engineer, who seemed exceptionally calm in spite of the somewhat foreboding atmosphere of the woods.

"Here," Link said, turning to her suddenly, holding out what looked like an oily rag that had not seen a washboard for many a moon. "To wipe some of the coal dust off your face," he explained when his passenger just stared apprehensively at it. In that dainty, cautious way that Princesses were known for, Zelda reached out and took the rag, holding it between her fingertips. Her vanity told her that she didn't want this anywhere near her face, but her common sense (as much as her vanity would like to suppress it) told her that she could hardly get much _more_ dirty as things were and with a very brief hesitation, she started to wipe the dark soot off her face, wrinkling her nose a little as she noticed that the rag didn't just look oily - it _smelt_ oily. In fact, it smelt more oily than it looked, and it was not a smell a Princess should have on her! Then again, sense before vanity, which was a phrase that Zelda furiously repeated to herself mentally as she did whatever she could to clean her visage up a little. There wasn't much she could do about her dress, and she decided that dwelling on that fact would only lead to the tears of a spoilt Princess, so she pushed that fact away, trying to find something else to focus on, and her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the creepy forest surrounding her. In spite of the intense heat in the Spirit Engine's cab, she shivered.

"Link, was there no path other than through this forest that we could've taken?" the Princess asked at last, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

"Hey, sometimes you just gotta go where the tracks take you," Link said nonchalantly. Zelda frowned slightly at the boy's tone. She could always pick up on when Link knew something she didn't and relished in it. Just what was he up to?

A loud snort then caught Zelda's attention over the sound of the train chugging and she turned to the left, crying out in alarm as she saw a mounted Bulbo running alongside the locomotive, its rider about to board the engine! Link's head whipped around at the Princess' cry and suddenly he had the Lokomo Sword in his hand, the enchanted blade clashing with the dagger the frighteningly ambitious bandit was now bearing. Zelda was awestruck, if not dumbstruck; she didn't even know Link had the sword on his person! It certainly hadn't been sheathed on his back. Perhaps he had somehow been concealing it in the folds of his tunic?

The intruder was no Miniblin, but rather very clearly a Hylian female, with the pointed ears giving it away if nothing else did. Wrapped in a brown leather tunic with a murky orange kerchief concealing most of her face, her eyes dark and piercing, she duelled with Link in the confined space of the engine's cab, Zelda pressed back into the corner as she watched both fighters try to force the other back. She felt useless. Oh, if only she had her old Phantom armour and the hulking blade that came with such. In contrast, the Princess of a typically peaceful kingdom was by no means built for battle. _'What use am I?'_ she thought to herself. _'I can't defend myself, I can't fight for anyone else, I can't even drive a darn train…'_

It was then that a light clicked on in Zelda's head and she gasped. Turning to the controls of the train, her eyes scanned the many levers and dials for that one lever that could end this chaos for better or worse. Finding what she was looking for, Zelda grabbed the emergency brake lever and pulled it with all her might. The Spirit Train's wheels instantly seized up and with a great screeching and an even greater jolt, the transport came to a very sudden halt that sent the bandit sprawling out of the cab, Link flying out after her and landing on top of her, which lessened the damage the boy took from the tumble, but the bandit appeared winded and pained, suggesting that she had broken something. Looking a little shell-shocked himself, Link slowly got up and turned to the Princess, who looked at him worriedly from the engine's cab.

"Zelda," the boy in green said curtly, "That was a _very_ foolish thing to do." After a moment, however, he grinned. "Took you long enough."

The bandit gave a strained growl from her position on the ground. Link turned to look at her in time to see that she was holding her dagger up, the blade glowing bright purple all of a sudden. Eyes widening, Link leapt out of the way just in time as, with the last of her strength, the bandit threw the dagger in his general direction with surprising force, the weapon shooting through the air like a bullet, missing the engineer and instead striking the side of the train's locomotive. It didn't merely bounce off, however, for whatever magic was empowering it caused the blade to drive itself into the engine's water tank, puncturing it and causing liquid to gush out. With a breathless - and perhaps delirious - cry of triumph, the bandit finally succumbed to her injuries and passed out.

"Oh, no!" Link cried, running his hands over his blonde hair and the odd green hat he wore, looking like he might start pulling his hair out at any moment as he stared at the burst water main of sorts. "The hull's been breached! Zelda, quick! Turn that blue valve next to the emergency brake all the way to the left!"

Zelda obliged, acting swiftly and without question even though she didn't fully understand why. With a long, loud hiss, the flames in the boiler quickly died, steam spurting out of both the furnace in the cabin and the funnel atop the locomotive. Meanwhile, Link just started pacing back and forth, still looking quite distraught.

"Link, what's the matter?" Zelda asked, concerned about him, not least because he just fell off the train.

"The water tank has been sabotaged and a lot of fluid has leaked out," the boy responded somewhat dully, letting out a heavy sigh. "Fire and water go hand in hand when operating a steam train. The fire in the boiler builds a pressurised energy that allows the train to go faster the hotter it gets. However, water is needed to douse the flames somewhat at regular intervals to stop the pressure becoming too intense. If that happens, the whole boiler explodes. Extremely violently," he concluded grimly. "I can patch up the tank by rudimentary means thanks to some stuff I keep in the back of the passenger car, but without a ready source of water, and a considerable amount at that, this train cannot be safely operated."

In spite of the few traces of coal dust left on her face (the oily rag had not been a perfect cleaning cloth by any means), Zelda visibly paled. "But that would mean…" she started, trailing off as she looked at the afternoon sun between the trees, which was already showing its first signs of setting. "No," she said, her eyes filling with dread.

"I'm afraid we have no choice, Princess." Link stated. "We need to find a source of water if we're to get home. In the meantime… we should prepare to spend the night in these woods."

Zelda bit back a whimper. "Wh-What about those bottles of water and Red Potion you were talking about before we left?" she said pleadingly. "How far could we get running the train on those?"

Link shook his head. "That's not _nearly_ enough fluid to keep the boiler's pressure in check, and those potions could literally add fuel to the fire depending on exactly what they're made of. No, Zelda, we'd best keep those liquids for us, especially since there's no knowing how long we'll be stuck here."

Zelda moaned worriedly, her eyes wavering to the unconscious bandit. "What about her? What shall we do with her?"

Link turned to look at their attacker, looking thoughtful. "I've got some rope in with my supplies…" he mused. "We could take her as a prisoner."

"Prisoner? You mean we'd keep her around? But she attacked us!" Zelda spluttered. "I mean, under what authority would we arrest her, anyway?"

"Yours," Link said immediately, eyeing her with a small knowing smile. "The supreme authority of the Princess of New Hyrule herself. She's not _our_ prisoner. She's _yours_."

"Well… I guess we can't just leave her there, especially if she wakes up and attacks us again," Zelda mused.

"I don't think she'll be attacking anyone too soon," Link said, bending down and inspecting the fiend's leg. "Looks like she twisted her ankle pretty bad when she fell. Better get out the ropes _and_ a bandage…"

* * *

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. Crickets chirped all around. Every once in a while, a twig snapped. Each sound she heard made Zelda jump, nearly upending the little wooden bowl of fire roasted baked beans Link had cooked for her. The Princess and engineer sat around a campfire the latter had made, the source of heat and light providing a sense of comfort in the atmosphere of the dark forest.

"You need to relax, Zelda," Link said calmly as he finished his own meal. "There's nothing dangerous in this forest."

"Tell that to the bandit tied up inside the passenger car," Zelda replied in a bitter, gloomy tone. She set her bowl of food aside and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering a little. She wasn't just scared; a slight chill had settled in along with the night, and her pink dress (still somewhat blackened by coal dust) was designed with formality rather than practicality in mind.

Link smirked. "Point taken," he said, his face falling as he really took in Zelda's current state. She looked like she might cry. He felt sorry for her. "Hang on a minute," he said as he got to his feet, heading for the nearby Spirit Train. Zelda watched with unease as the boy ventured into the passenger car, emerging a couple moments later with something in his arms. Something neatly folded and with a beret-like hat resting atop it.

His engineer uniform.

"I thought some clean clothes might cheer you up," he said kindly. "Come on, stand up."

Zelda knew what he was getting at. Princesses typically relied on servants to fit them with new clothes, but as good a friend Link was to her, could she really trust him with such a task - one that would leave her vulnerable to any advances he might decide to make?

"It's okay," Link said gently. "I know they're not exactly a royal gown, but they'll keep you warm."

Zelda smiled, a feeling of warmth already arising inside her. _'Oh, Link. If only all in New Hyrule were as pure minded as you.'_

The Princess allowed the boy to help her remove her soot-covered dress, leaving her in her undergarments that covered all the essentials. Draping his blue jacket around her, Link then helped Zelda step into his red slacks. He carefully buttoned up the coat and finished by placing his engineer's cap atop Zelda's blonde hair very gingerly. He thought she looked quite cute wearing it.

"There. Good enough to bluff your way into getting your own Royal Engineer Certificate," he said lightheartedly, reaching up and gently brushing a strand of hair out of the girl's eyes. She beamed back at him, suddenly pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, letting out a little sniff. Surprised that the Princess was actually weeping with gratitude, Link smiled warmly and returned the embrace.

"No worries, Princess," he said gently. "You're gonna be alright. I promise."

A Wolfos howled in the distance and Zelda gasped, gripping Link a bit tighter. He responded by running his hand up and down her back gently to comfort her. He silently vowed that he'd live up to the promise he'd just made and keep her safe at all costs...


	3. Warmth

Act III: Warmth

Zelda couldn't sleep.

The Princess just didn't feel comfortable curled up on the grass in the spare sleeping bag Link had provided. Deep red and slightly musty, it wasn't completely cosy, but it was warm enough. Warmth or no warmth, however, the princess felt unable to rest. The chirping of the forest crickets, while not overly loud, was quite incessant, and as the leaves on the trees rustled in the faint breeze, Zelda turned over in her sleeping bag, giving a little moan of discomfort. As much as she disliked being the stereotypical spoilt figure of royalty, the fact remained that she was used to sleeping in a four poster bed in her quiet, clean royal chambers, the blankets soft and warm and with the faint but comforting floral scent of whatever the servants washed said covers with. Out here in the dark, in the open, in the elements… Well, it was fair to say that this was not her neck of the woods.

In spite of her inability to rest at present, Zelda smirked slightly at the pun that had just crossed her mind. _'Not my neck of the woods. Good grief! Oh, if Link had heard that, he'd be teasing me about it all night!'_

At the thought of Link, Zelda turned back the other way to see the engineer in question sleeping adjacent of her in his own sleeping bag; a blue one. He was still wearing his stocking-like green hat even in his sleep. One thing about Link; he was a sound sleeper. About half an hour ago, a small branch had broken off a tree on the far side of the nearby Spirit Train, falling onto the engine's boiler and sliding off onto the grass. The whole endeavour had very nearly given Zelda a heart attack, But Link had just rolled over in his sleeping bag, mumbled something about flapjacks, and then he let out a small, decidedly cute snore, his slumber continuing on as though nothing had happened. Zelda pouted at the memory, envying the boy's untroubled sleeping pattern. She didn't know how he could sleep regardless of the environment when she thought of the bandit contained within the Spirit Train's passenger car. Link had taken some food to her before retiring for the night, returning to tell Zelda that he had been able to feed the bound troublemaker after a little persuasion, and that she had spoken of a spring that was supposedly hidden in these woods. Not an ordinary spring, mind, but rather a sacred spring of magical water that could heal any ailment, cure any sickness.

The bandit had long believed that the coming of the fabled Spirit Train of legend would signify the spring appearing where it could be accessed by mere mortals. So naturally, when the bandit heard a train approaching, she had saddled up on her Bulbo and set her sights on commandeering the train by force and riding it headlong into fortune and glory, for she planned to bottle and sell the sacred water posthaste and finally abandon her life as a lonely woodcutter living in a cabin in this forest. The whole thing sounded like nonsense to Zelda, and she was quick to dismiss it as a sob story the bandit came up with to try and escape justice. Link, however, felt that the bandit truly believed the legend, that he could see the conviction in her eyes. Still, even he had to admit that the story sounded a little farfetched, and that it was most likely an old folktale at best. He had seemed lost in his thoughts after that, however, and Zelda wondered if he was contemplating the possibility of finding this spring and salvaging some of its water to top up the Spirit Train. She smiled at that. Trust Link to not think of the power such divine water could bring him, but rather how it could help him see his lone passenger home safely. If Link had one flaw - aside from several little private nitpicks Zelda had about him - it was that he was too earnest, living by the engineer's code of conduct to the utmost. She didn't think he had a dishonest bone in his body, and while that was a rare and very wonderful thing, she couldn't help but feel that it might land him in trouble sooner of later…

As she mulled over Link's perhaps one-of-a-kind personality, Zelda found herself surveying the boy with her eyes, noticing the way his mouth partially hung open as he slept, the way his blonde fringe hung down past his forehead, the way he was snuggled up in his sleeping bag, looking almost as if he was trying to snuggle up against something.

Or someone.

Someone who wasn't there.

Someone who had never been there.

And maybe it was Zelda's imagination, but as the boy shifted slightly in his sleep, a sad look seemed to pass over his face for a moment.

A sad, lonely look.

And just like that, Zelda felt a stab of genuine pity. From what she understood, Link had never known his family, having been orphaned at a young age and left to be raised by a certain former seafaring pirate. Yes, Niko had prided himself in giving Link a cultural upbringing in terms of teaching him about New Hyrule's history, and Alfonzo had wasted no time in taking the boy under his wing as an apprentice engineer as soon as Link was old enough to begin training, but Zelda had to wonder if Link had ever known that one thing no boy should have to grow up without, that one thing that even Zelda herself, with a life of such responsibility and political importance, had not been deprived of:

The tender warmth that only a loving mother could provide.

Her body reaching the decision even before her mind had decided to act upon it, Zelda found herself instinctively shifting closer and closer to Link, finally lying right beside him, barely an inch of space between their respective sleeping bags. The princess then reached out and slowly and carefully removed the boy's green hat, placing it aside. She then proceeded to do something her mother used to do for her before she had passed on, something that had comforted Zelda deeply once upon a time.

The Princess of New Hyrule daintily rested her fingers in amongst Link's blonde locks and began to ever-so-gently stroke his forehead, each stroke slow and careful, a part of her worrying that the boy in green might suddenly wake up in a panic and reach for his sword (wherever it may have been inexplicably stashed), but instead, he did something that made Zelda absolutely melt inside.

Link snuggled his head deeper into Zelda's palm and let out a big, soft sigh of contentment in his sleep, a deeply tranquil smile stretching across his face as he slumbered on, and Zelda felt a tear of happiness fall from her eye and run down her cheek.

"Awwww…" she said softly, finding Link's adorable reaction to be the sweetest thing she'd ever witnessed. Right now, she and the boy seemed like the only real things in the world, and the noises of the forest fell on deaf ears as the only sounds the Princess heard were Link's gentle, rhythmic snores. Feeling nothing but warm compassion for the boy, that warmth enveloped Zelda from inside out, making her feel relaxed and sleepy. She lay down next to Link, wrapping one arm around him in a kindly - if not loving - way, and peaceful sleep found her soon after. And that was how they would stay until the dawn's first light; the dearest of friends with the sweetest of friendships…

And they would be none-the-wiser as a coil of rope landed quietly on the grass next to the Spirit Train's passenger car, the figure holding it stepping out of the carriage and starting to limp away into the woods…

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter was a little short, but I'm starting to run out of steam with this story (excuse the pun). I have a habit of starting a story, getting a couple of chapters in and then not really being sure where to go with it. Regardless, I'm sure I can keep this one chugging (sorry) for a while yet. I just need to get it together… however long that may take.**


	4. Mint Leaf

Act IV: Mint Leaf

"Zelda? Zelda!"

The Princess awoke to the sound of her own name being called by Link, who sounded mildly troubled. She sat up, blinking in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves overhead. The crickets had long-since stopped chirping, a few native birds now twittering somewhere nearby. She looked around in time to see Link trudging over from the direction of the Spirit Train, his brown boots moving hastily across the forest floor.

"Link," Zelda said, catching the concerned look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"The bandit girl is gone," he said simply. That got the Princess' attention. She scrambled out of her sleeping bag and onto her feet. She was a little surprised as she looked down at herself; she had forgotten that she was wearing Link's engineer uniform.

"Y-You think she's lying in wait to attack us?" she guessed nervously, glancing around as though expecting to see the bandit's face poking out from behind a tree.

Link shook his head. "I think she might have gotten herself into trouble," he said, glancing up at the sky.

Zelda blinked, a little surprised at that. Then she shook her head. "Link, you never cease to amaze me," she said. "Only you could fight a bandit and get thrown off a train in the process, tie her up, have her escape and then fret about her well-being. I mean, she could've very easily finished us off in our sleep."

"Exactly," Link pointed out. "She could've done away with us, but she left us untouched. I think she's gone off in search of that spring she was talking about. I think she truly believes that it's out there somewhere."

"Oh," Zelda said, looking a little uncomfortable, for she wasn't really sure how to respond to that. "Well, maybe we should let just her go about her business while we go about ours. After all, we _also_ need to find water... right?"

"Again, my thoughts exactly," Link said, nodding offhandedly. "If there _is_ any sort of spring out there, magical or not, it may be our best bet at getting back on track. No pun intended," he concluded, picking up the coiled rope and slinging it over his shoulder. "I think we should prepare ourselves as best we can and head out into the wilderness."

Zelda swallowed. Being stuck in the woods was one thing, but venturing out into the unknown and potentially getting lost was an idea that terrified her almost as much as rats did. "M-Maybe I should stay here in case… I dunno…" she mumbled worriedly, looking around as though she expected to find the excuse she needed. As she glanced this way and that, her eyes, perhaps inevitably, met Link's, becoming locked with them, and the young man's serious expression turned to a knowing smile.

"Zelda, if you can suit up in armour, grab a dark mage in a headlock and hold him while I jam a sword into his… Well, the less said about that, the better. The point is, you'll be fine. You're pretty tough… for a spoilt Princess."

Zelda pouted in annoyance at that last part, but she knew Link was joking, not least because the engineer then proceeded to flash a rather goofy grin in her direction. She turned away, not letting him see her own little smile and slight blush.

"You can help me get some supplies together, and we'll set out before the sun reaches its peak in the sky," the boy in green went on, starting to head back towards the train.

"Oh, just like that, eh?" Zelda asked in mock irritation as she marched over.

"Just like that, Rookie," Link responded casually, not looking at her as he put one foot in the passenger car. Zelda's face fell at being addressed thus. She hoped 'Rookie' wasn't going to stick as Link's nickname for her. Shaking the notion off, she ventured inside the train after the engineer, trying to think of a nickname _she_ could use for _him_ if he got too cheeky…

* * *

The forest was filled with sound. Birds twittered in the branches above and hooves - or possibly paws - crunched their way through the brush somewhere out of sight. Zelda found herself glancing this way and that as she walked, her unease far from wavering. Link had told her to keep her ears open for the sound of running water, but so far she had only been greeted by noises that made her whip her head around and/or gasp in alarm. She was privately glad that donning the engineer's uniform entailed wearing his spare boots as well. While not the most comfortable of footwear, they were far more suited to hiking through the grass than her exquisite heels were, and they allowed her to run after her escort should he get too far ahead. Zelda was unused to running, not least because her typical attire and the general factors of her lifestyle negated the need to do so, but in spite of how much it made her ankles ache, she'd gladly run a marathon if it meant avoiding getting left behind and therefore lost in this forest. That's not to say Link wasn't regularly stopping to make sure she kept up as he slashed his way through the foliage, using the Lokomo Sword like a machete to chop through low hanging vines and branches, the faintly glowing blade seeming incapable of becoming unclean, for not a trace of moss or dirt ever remained on it as it did its job for the boyish young man who wielded it. Come to think of it, Zelda couldn't recall seeing a drop of blood disgrace its surface throughout her world adventure with Link despite the weapon having felled many a servant of evil during Malladus' attempted rise to power. It truly was an exceptional, one-of-a-kind sword, befitting of a truly one-of-a-kind hero…

"You doing alright, Zelda?" Link called, distracting the figure of royalty from her thoughts as he turned, and as he looked at her and she him, Zelda had put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggling. "What?" the engineer asked, not sure what was so funny.

"You… You've got green stuff all over your face!" Zelda spluttered, still quivering from amusement.

"Yeah, I know. It's moss," the boy elaborated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's from that rock a few hundred metres back. I scooped some up on my fingers and rubbed it on my face. Keeps me cool. Slicing through the wilderness is draining work, after all."

"Well, you look… You look…" Zelda really wanted to say 'ridiculous', but she was so busy giggling that she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Mossy, perhaps?" Link suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"You look like a walking mint leaf!" the princess exclaimed at last, finally succumbing to her laughter, falling to the ground and starting to roll back and forth across the grass, her face alight with mirth.

"Oh, really?" Link asked slyly, having spotted another moss-covered rock nearby. He walked over to it while Zelda was distracted, continuing to talk so she wouldn't know what he was up to. "Well, you know what _I_ think, Rookie? I think that you yourself are looking…" He paused briefly, gathering up as much moss as he could on his palm before turning to face Zelda. "…A little green around the gills!" he declared, swooping down and smearing the moss on the girl's cheeks.

"Hey!" she complained, her laughter dying instantly as she sat up, pouting. "Don't rub that stuff on me! You don't know where it's been!"

"It's been in the forest," Link stated simply, smiling smugly as he held out a hand to the Princess. She took it and allowed him to help her up, albeit still with a grumpy look on her face. "And so have you."

"Oh, be quiet," Zelda said in annoyance. Then she smiled mischievously. "Mint Leaf," she added.

"Huh?" Link said, not getting it.

"I told you to be quiet, Mint Leaf," Zelda repeated. "That's you. You're Mint Leaf. Mint Leaf, Mint Leaf, Mint Leaf," she chanted, prodding him in the chest every time she said it. "You keep calling me Rookie, so I'm gonna call you Mint Leaf."

Link chuckled. "Whatever makes her Royal Highness happy," he said cheekily, turning away and starting to trudge through the trees.

"Hey, don't you _dare_ just turn your back to me, Link! I mean, Mint Leaf!" Zelda cried, hurrying after him. Link just laughed to himself as he pressed on, the Princess at his heels.

Once the two had moved a fair distance away from the moss-covered rock, a curious forest creature emerged from behind it. It had a cat-like physique with creamy yellow fur, but bore a green, leaf-like tail and ears.

"Leafeon," it said before dashing away, disappearing in amongst the foliage.

* * *

 **I just couldn't resist that last bit. The opportunity was too perfect. (:**

 **It actually took me quite a while to come up with that nickname for Link. I knew I wanted it to have SOMETHING to do with foliage, but just couldn't settle on anything for a while. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Review if you get the chance.**


	5. Bittersweet

Act V: Bittersweet

Link was silent as he pressed on, letting his blade do the talking as he continued to cleave his way through the brambles and low-hanging branches, Zelda at his heels. The forest was becoming a lot more dense the further they travelled, with trees and bushes being closer together, and it was beginning to slow the duo's progress. It wasn't the extra exertion required to press onward that concerned Link, however. He found himself constantly glancing upward, very aware of how the sky was becoming more and more obscured by a curtain of leaves and branches. The royal engineer had been largely relying on the position of the sun to determine the way back to the Spirit Train. If the forest continued to become cluttered and overgrown from above as he and Zelda went further…

"Ow," Zelda muttered from behind Link, no doubt having caught herself on a bramble yet again. Link turned to glance back at her and the Princess quickly pulled the sleeve of the engineer jacket Link had loaned her down, hiding her latest injury. She was quick to put on a tough, nonchalant facade. "What? Why have we stopped, Mint Leaf?" she demanded.

"Let me see," Link responded coolly, not at all fooled by the figure of royalty's ruse, for he himself had earned plenty of scrapes growing up when he snuck away from Niko's lectures and monologues to go and play down by the water's edge. He had been nipped by crustaceans, pecked by seagulls and had scratched himself against many a rock. He was no stranger to hiding gashes and bruises from anyone who might be concerned about such things, and Zelda's attempt to play it cool was the oldest trick in the book and therefore all too easy for the boyish young man to see through. Hesitantly, Zelda rolled her sleeve back up to reveal a long, thin gash that was leaking blood.

"It's… fine," she assured him, wincing as she spoke. Clearly, she was not used to the pains that came from having an open wound, for living in the lap of luxury made skin breakages few and far between thanks to all the protective methods that were part of her daily life.

"Here," Link said, pulling a bottle of Red Potion out of what seemed like thin air. Once again, Zelda was at a loss to fathom where Link kept all the stuff he carried on his person. "Cup your hands," the hero instructed as he unstoppered the bottle.

"Link, I know how to drink out of a bottle. I'm not _completely_ helpless without assistance," Zelda told him, gasping suddenly as she clutched at her arm just above the wound, careful not to actually touch it.

"Yes, but you and I need to conserve this stuff in case we need more of it later. When drinking straight from the bottle, it's too easy to succumb to the temptation of drinking the whole lot," Link explained. "Now come on, cup your hands. Red Potion is not that cold and only a little sticky."

Letting out a little exasperated whoosh of breath, Zelda obliged, Link pouring a little of the somewhat thick red liquid into her waiting palms. Zelda raised her hands to her mouth and slurped clumsily at the medicine, half of it leaking out through her hands to trickle down her jacket and stain it a little. She gave a little moan of discomfort and annoyance, but she had at least managed to consume a minuscule amount of potion - not enough to close her wounds and erase all traces of them entirely, but enough so that they visibly started to heal, the deeper cuts becoming shallow and the wider gashes thinning out. She shivered slightly at the taste. For as effectively as Red Potion did its job (especially in larger doses), it had a reputation for being quite bitter.

"I never _did_ like taking any sort of medicine," the Princess admitted. "As a child, I would hide anywhere I could think of if I thought my nursemaid might be approaching with a bottle and teaspoon. Under the bed, in my wardrobe, behind my dressing screen… I once managed to climb inside one of the suits of armour in the castle's corridors to avoid that bitter fizz on my tongue. Unfortunately, I got stuck inside it. It took three hours for Teacher and Guard Captain Russell to prise me out of there, though that was partly because Teacher spent less time helping and more time fussing over the situation. Russell thought it was kind of funny, actually, saying that if I'd wanted to train with the knights, I need've only asked!" she concluded, giggling at the memory. Link chuckled as well before taking a swig of Red Potion from the bottle, causing Zelda to immediately frown at his hypocrisy.

"I get to take a sip from the bottle because I'm smart enough and experienced enough to stop myself from abusing the privilege," he elaborated as Zelda glared at him.

"Oh, is that so, Mint Leaf?" Zelda demanded, her eyebrows raised dramatically.

"Yes, it is indeed 'so', Rookie," Link responded, letting out a small burp as he stood there. "Heh. Excuse me."

"Yes, excuuuuuse you, Mint Leaf!" Zelda jeered, suddenly snatching the bottle and its cork stopper out of the engineer's hands and proceeding to seal the container tightly. _"I'll_ hang onto this for a while, if you don't mind, Mint Leaf the Conservative!" she declared, sounding uppity as she tucked the bottle onto the folds of her jacket.

Link merely shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said before turning to resume slashing his way through the foliage, his strikes having more energy behind them now that the Red Potion had rejuvenated his stamina. "While you're at it, you can keep track of where the sun is. It'll save me a job."

"The sun? What _about_ the sun?"

"Sun rises in the east, sets in the west," Link stated without looking at her, continuing to forge a path with the Lokomo Sword. "As long as we know where the sun is, we won't get lost. We'll be able to find our way back to the Spirit Train, no problem."

"O-Oh," was Zelda's response, the sass no longer present in her tone. "So… which direction did we come from? I mean, we haven't just walked a straight line, right? Or have we?"

"You're the tough-as-nails Princess who needs absolutely no assistance to survive the wilderness. You tell _me_ which way is home, Your Highness."

Link's tone wasn't hostile or cold. It was calm and level like it usually was, and yet, Zelda suddenly felt a knot tighten in her stomach at his words.

"You… You're joking, right? You actually know where we're going and where we've been, right? You're not _really_ leaving it up to me, right? Right?!"

"Whyever not? You're pretty capable, aren't you, Princess?"

Such nonchalance, such uncaring… Zelda felt her blood run cold. Had her words and behaviour finally annoyed Link to the point where he was willing to risk their safety just to teach her a lesson?

No. It couldn't be so. He was just trying to make her admit that she didn't have all the answers, that she couldn't work miracles, that she didn't know what she was doing, and he was doing it to remind her of her place.

To remind her that being the Princess of Hyrule meant _nothing_ out here in the woods. The trees, the birds, the wind that whistled eerily - none of it was impressed or intimidated by Zelda's royal heritage. Out here, someone else was calling the shots. Nature. Mother Nature. Zelda had to play by nature's rules, not her own, if she were to last long out here. Link knew the rules, whereas she didn't. He was her best chance. Her _only_ chance. She needed to stop being a stubborn, spoilt Princess and start being…

"I _am_ capable, yes. In some ways, but not all," Zelda admitted quietly. "There are things I can do, things I know how to do, that others don't, but the opposite is also true. There are some who can pull off astounding, remarkable feats that I couldn't even _begin_ to attempt in my wildest fantasies. Feats like swinging a sword with unwavering accuracy and skill or controlling a steam locomotive's momentum with such vigilance and efficiency."

Link stopped his sword swipes, standing motionless, his back to Zelda as he listened intently, not saying a word.

"Feats that continue to catch my attention and awe me to this day," the Princess went on. "Feats that can only come from being a spirited individual who is so much more than just another swordsman or engineer."

Link slowly turned to eye the Princess, still not saying anything, but he had one eyebrow raised rather cockily as he waited for Zelda to finish.

"A spirited individual who puts up with all that's thrown at him without ever asking for anything in return, who always gives with no thought of taking or-"

Zelda was then silenced as Link stepped forward to gently place a finger to her lips, shushing her.

"You can stop sucking up now," he told her half-seriously, his eyes kind and his smile gentle and warm. "You know what, Princess? You may be the definition of a royal pain, but confidentially…" He paused, beckoning Zelda closer with a finger. She leant forward and he whispered in her ear, "I wouldn't want you to be any other way."

Zelda smiled. "Thanks, Link," she said gratefully.

"That's MINT LEAF, Rookie!" Link suddenly shouted, causing Zelda to jump and stumble back, falling to land rear first in a small puddle. As Link stood there giggling like a child, Zelda's face went bright red with raw Princess fury.

"I'll get you for that, engineer boy!" she declared angrily, shaking a fist at him, her spoilt Princess demeanour instantly returning.

"Yeah, and when that happens, I bet I'll be… _all wet!"_ Link retorted, still laughing his head off. He soon stopped, however, when he realised what he was saying. "All wet? Wait a minute..." He put a hand to his pointed ear and listened intently. "Do you hear that?"

"Do I hear _what?"_ Zelda demanded irritably as she got to her feet, brushing herself down. "The sound of running water? Because I've had just about enough of-" It was her turn to be struck dumb. "Wait. Running water?"

"We're close," Link whispered. He suddenly grabbed Zelda's hand and started to hurriedly drag her in the direction of the sound. "We're close! Come on, Zelda, let's go!"

"I don't need you to hold my hand!" Zelda snapped, but as she became more consciously aware of the fact that she was indeed holding hands with Link, his grip firm yet gentle, his palm and digits comfortingly warm, the Princess of Hyrule found herself feeling all warm and fuzzy, her cheeks reddening. She smiled in spite of herself, and made no atempt to break free of Link's grasp as he dragged her along.

* * *

 **I'm glad I could end this chapter on a cute note. I wasn't sure where I was going with it at first, but I knew I wanted Link and Zelda to share a Red Potion in some way.**

 **Potions may be bitter, but Link and Zelda are so sweet together. Hence, the chapter title. See you next update!**


	6. Fighting Dirty

Act VI: Fighting Dirty

The water flowed freely down the surface of the large rock, forming a pool of crisp, clear liquid at the base of the small waterfall. Floating just above the pool's surface, seeming to sparkle in the midday sun, were several tiny orbs of light that appeared to have… gossamer wings.

Zelda's mouth fell open as she stood there beside Link, gazing at the beautiful spring and the curious lights that hovered over it. The Princess suddenly grabbed Link's arm, struggling to find the words that made up the question she wanted so desperately to ask in this moment of disbelief and childlike wonder.

"L-Link," she managed to gasp at last, her voice the tiniest of whispers, "Are those… Are those…?"

"Fairies," Link concluded for her, his astonishment and awe matching hers as he stood there, unable to bring himself to move a muscle or speak another word. It was all he could do to watch the little magical sprites in quiet amazement, wanting this blissful moment to just go on forever. His hand slowly, instinctively reached for Zelda's and as the pair's fingers interlocked, Zelda couldn't help but smile. She didn't even need to look at Link to know that he was smiling, too. There was no doubt in either Hylian's mind that the other person was simply overjoyed to be sharing this wonderful, magical, once-in-a-lifetime moment with such a dear friend.

Quite suddenly, the fairies scarpered, hastily fluttering out of sight as footsteps approached the spring from somewhere to Link's left. The engineer acted quickly, guiding Zelda into the bushes and out of sight.

Sure enough, as Link and Zelda watched, the female bandit approached the spring, kerchief still over her mouth, only her cold eyes visible underneath her tied-back hair. Beside Link, Zelda was shaking, partly out of fear, partly with silent outrage at how the bandit had come along to scare all those beautiful little fairies away and spoiling the spring's whimsical atmosphere.

"At last," they heard the bandit say as she produced a small, tattered glass bottle from the folds of her crude leather coat and dipped it into the spring, "I've finished what you started, father. No more poverty for us. Fortune and glory is… _mine!"_ she declared, straightening up with the bottle in hand, gazing at it triumphantly. She then frowned, holding the bottle up to her face, lifting her kerchief partly to sniff the contents. She took a cautious swig and immediately spat it out, a murky brown substance that looked nothing like the clear spring water landing on the ground where she had spat.

"I guess that's what happens when you don't wash out your bottles often enough," Link declared softly with a slight smirk, Zelda having turned away, quite put out from seeing someone spit so carelessly, so disdainfully.

"It's… It's _mud!"_ the bandit spluttered in disbelief. "It turned to mud!" She cast the bottle aside and got down on her knees, cupping her hands and scooping up some of the clear spring water. Her hands were halfway to her mouth when she exclaimed in horrified dismay and let the substance fall from between her fingers, which were now coated with thick mud. "N-No," she pleaded aloud, her eyes wide. "This can't be! This can't… ARRRGH!" she screamed in frustration, causing Zelda to jump. The bandit pulled out her dagger and started slashing at the air in frustration, swinging her arms wildly. "You're telling me my father spent half his life searching for a cursed spring that turns water to mud?! What am I supposed to do with _that?!"_ she screeched before throwing her dagger into the water, turning and starting to stomp away in a state of fury.

The bandit didn't go three paces before the dagger flew out of the spring as though it had been thrown by an unseen force, the hilt striking her in the back of the head. She screamed out her fury, snatched up the knife and leapt wildly into the water, slamming the knife against the bed of the spring and proceeding to stomp on it repeatedly like a child throwing a tantrum, sloshing and splashing water everywhere.

"Well, _that's_ mature," Link muttered while Zelda shook her head in disapproval at the bandit's behaviour. Her disapproval turned to bewildered horror as the water around the bandit started to turn to mud, which began to inexplicably climb up the bandit's legs, passing over her boots and coating her bare skin, climbing higher and higher. The bandit's anger turned to panic as she realised that she was being encased in sentient mud! She opened her mouth to scream in horror, only for the mud to cover her mouth as well, and not just cover it, but fill it full of brown, slimy coldness. The bandit's scream became a gurgle.

An inhuman gurgle.

Zelda clutched at Link's arm again, her eyes wide with pure, unbridled terror.

The mud-covered abomination that had once been the bandit roared, the sound seeming to shake the entire forest. The creature raised its bulky arms of mud and slammed them into the shallows. It was undoubtedly about to go on the rampage.

"Stay here!" Link barked at Zelda, drawing the Lokomo Sword and charging out of his hiding place towards the mud monster. It snarled at the sight of him, swinging at the boy in green. Its swing was far too wide, however, and allowed the skilled swordsman to easily dodge it. He managed to get behind the creature and jam the blade deep into its back.

It had no effect on the mud monster whatsoever, passing through it like a knife through butter.

"Oh, boy. That's not good," Link said, the mud monster turning even as he spoke to tower over him, raising both of its arms, about to slam them both down onto the boy. Zelda looked on with horror.

"The Sand Rod, Link! THE SAND ROD!" she screamed desperately.

Just as the bulky fists of mud were about to crash down on top of Link and smother him in slimy muck, they suddenly became hard and cracked, stopping in mid-descent, completely rigid. Link stood crouched beneath the now immobile arms, sword in one hand, Sand Rod in the other, having used the latter's magic to rapidly dry out the mud. He jammed the sword into one of the monster's arms and it cracked apart, crumbling into pieces all around the hero. The mud monster roared out its dismay at having lost a limb.

"Zelda, get ready!" Link barked over his shoulder as he continued to duel with the abnormal creature.

At first Zelda didn't know what he was talking about, but then her gaze fell upon the back of her dainty hand.

The hand that bore the sacred triangle crest.

"O-Okay," she stammered nervously, clasping her hands together. "Come on, Zelda, you can do this," she told herself quietly, closing her eyes to help her concentrate. "This mud monster is nothing compared to… to…"

Memories of a great cyan beast with glowing golden horns rearing up on its hind legs and spewing fireballs in every direction flickered on the back of Zelda's eyelids and she gasped, eyes flying open as she took a step back, startled by what she had seen. Back then, when she and Link had fought Malladus together, she had been so focused on aiding Link that she hadn't really noticed how terrifying the encounter had been at the time. Now, however, it was a vivid flashback marred with glowing red eyes, jagged teeth, lethal claws and flames, so many flames…

"Ugh!" Link grunted as the Lokomo Sword was knocked from his hand, the mud monster's one good arm having regained its moist texture, the Sand Rod's magic wearing off. Desperately, Link pulled out his boomerang and tossed it in a wide arc, the weapon flying around to lodge itself in the back of the monster's head with a sickening squelch. The creature roared again, slamming its muddy palm into Link and pinning him in place with its thick goop.

"Link!" Zelda cried worriedly. Then her eyes narrowed. "No one messes with Mint Leaf… except me!" she hissed softly, slamming her eyes shut and clasping her hands together once more. The gold triangle on the back of her hand began to glow.

Link wrenched his head out of the mud, gasping for air. He reached into who-knows-where on his person and pulled out a bomb, the fuse already lit. The hero grinned. He hadn't expected the explosive to work with such dampness and moisture present. He threw it in front of him before quickly submerging himself in the mud once more. The bomb exploded, the small but powerful blast of gunpowder rapidly heating the mud around him, caking Link inside a dry cocoon that quickly crumbled away, leaving the boy with full access to his natural agility once again. He darted over to the Lokomo Sword, noticing that a fierce golden glow was coming from amongst the nearby bushes. He got himself into a good position, already having calculated the angle and, at the very last moment, he ducked.

Zelda's light arrow struck square and true just as the mud monster was about to bring its full might and weight down upon Link, the magic of Zelda's inherent sacred power spreading all across the surface of the monster's being. The creature let out one last roar of protest before it became completely immobilised. It collapsed in a heap before Link, part of the dried mud breaking off the top of its head, revealing an odd lump. Wasting no time, Link struck it repeatedly with the shimmering blade of the Lokomo Sword, and then-

The dried outer coating fell away as the mud monster reared up, roaring out its anguish. Its murky brown colour faded, becoming replaced with a dark grey at it turned to stone. After a moment, it exploded in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving no trace save for the bandit, who lay unconscious and face-down where the mud monster had been.

Link let out a sigh of relief, sheathing his blade. Zelda stepped out of the bushes to join him, the golden glow around her fading even as she approached.

"We… We got him," she managed to say after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah," Link said breathlessly. Without a word, Zelda handed him the bottle of Red Potion and he drank deeply from it, offering the Princess a silent thanks out of the corner of his eye. It was then that the spring, now devoid of mud, began to glow brightly with an otherworldly light. It grew brighter and brighter, and then-

The potion bottle fell from Link's hand as he and Zelda gazed up at the towering regal figure that burst out of seemingly nowhere with a joyous laugh. Clad in a spotless blue gown and bearing golden hair to rival Zelda's, as well as a pair of gossamer wings, the tall, beautiful fairy gazed down at the engineer and his royal cohort with a kind smile on her face.

"Young hero who bears the sacred sword, and chosen bearer of the sacred power of old, you have done well to dispel the darkness that plagued my spring."

Zelda found herself grasping Link's arm more tightly than ever, and Link already had one hand on the hilt of the Lokomo Sword. The Great Fairy chuckled knowingly.

"You needn't fear, children. That monster was a manifestation of the darkness in this bandit's heart. Her spirit has grown cold and bitter like mud over many a moon, and yet… I sense sadness in her more than anything."

Link lowered his hand, but did not completely drop his guard. "You're the Great Fairy of legend," he summarised. "I remember Niko telling me about you."

"Indeed, young one. I watch over this realm by the will of the gods," the Great Fairy said, nodding, "And I know why you have sought my spring so fervently."

Zelda swallowed, summoning her courage. "Great Fairy, can you help us?" she asked, staring intently, pleadingly, into the eyes of the great forest spirit.

"Indeed I can, dear one," the Great Fairy said, raising her arms to the heavens, letting out a harmonious vocalisation. Link cried out in surprise when he realised that he was floating in mid-air, his feet no longer touching the ground. Zelda moaned worriedly beside him, the Princess also levitating. Everything suddenly faded to white…

* * *

"Link? Link!"

Link blinked a few times, his vision returning. He found that he and Zelda were standing before the Spirit Train, which was right where he had left it, only now there was no sign of breakage on the boiler. It was completely fine.

And that wasn't the only bewildering surprise.

As Link turned to ask Zelda was was going on, he was struck dumb to find that she was clad in her signature pink dress, no traces of coal dust or moss on her face. Her blonde hair hung down behind her, flowing and shimmering beautifully as though it had just been shampooed and brushed. Looking down, Link saw that his own green tunic was also spotless.

"I… I think this is the Great Fairy's doing," Zelda said slowly, appearing just as dumbfounded as Link was. "The Spirit Train, our clothes, even our supplies…" She trailed off, pulling the bottle of Red Potion from the folds of her dress, holding it up to show that it was completely full, with no sign that it had ever been unstoppered.

"It's all been restored to how it was before we entered the forest," Link realised. He hurried to the train's passenger car and checked the overhead storage compartments. Everything from his engineer uniform, which was neatly folded in its usual spot, to the rope he had used to tie up the bandit, to the tins of baked beans he and Zelda had eaten the night before… It was all there, organised and unused. "But what of the bandit?" he enquired sharply as Zelda stepped in behind him.

"I don't know," Zelda said, glancing over her shoulder at the mention of the troublemaker. "Maybe… Maybe the Great Fairy made it so that the bandit never attacked us in the first place. Link, I think the Great Fairy rewrote time for you and me. I mean, look around. It's as though our adventure in this forest…"

"…Never happened," Link finished for her, glancing down at his boots, which appeared to have been polished. He remained silent for a long moment, and then he finally looked up, showing a bright, chipper smile that was just typical Link. "Well then! What say we get you home, Princess? Adventure or no, Teacher will likely be having a field day by now in regards to your absence from the castle!"

Zelda laughed, the mystified mood between herself and the engineer gone. "Are you kidding? He was having a field day before I even walked out the door!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"In that case, milady, I'll let you have some privacy while I go and get the engine up and ru-" Link started before Zelda suddenly cut him off.

"Oh, no, you don't, Mint Leaf!" she declared, hands on her hips. "We're not going anywhere until I change back into that engineer uniform and have a shovel in my hands!"

Link's jaw dropped, and then he laughed incredulously.

"You never cease to amaze me… Rookie," he said, folding his arms and smirking as he watched Zelda walk over to the storage compartment and fetch the engineer uniform.

"That's _Princess_ Rookie to you, Mint Leaf!" Zelda cried dramatically. Link shook his head in knowing amusement as he filed through the train and into the engine's cabin. He adjusted the valves, checked the pressure levels and, just as Zelda marched in behind him, looking like a woman on a mission, he tugged on the rope that sounded the Spirit Train's whistle.

As the Spirit Train started to move, one of the tins of baked beans fell out of the storage compartment, rolled across the floor of the passenger car and went out the door, landing on the soft grass. As Link's train pulled out of sight, a lone figure stepped up to the tin of beans, reaching down to pick it up. The bandit read the label, which was inscribed in the Hylian alphabet:

 _Fortune and Glory_

 _Baked Beans_

With an exasperated sigh, the bandit tucked the tin into the folds of her coat and trudged away into the shade of the trees, quickly vanishing from view.

* * *

 **Well, how was it? I wanted this chapter to involve a boss fight of sorts. I think I really nailed the _Spirit Tracks_ feel, with the mud monster turning to stone and bursting apart as the bosses in the actual game would upon defeat.**

 **And yes, I know that using fairy magic to retcon the whole ordeal was a cheap move, but I didn't want to have to explain how Link would move water from one place to another in a large enough quantity to fill his train. Yes, we all know that this kid can inexplicably store a plethora of items on his person, but come on - several tons of water? And in what? The one little potion bottle he brought with him? Pfft!**

 **Anyway, I might do one more short chapter just to round this thing up good and proper, so stay tuned!**

 **Also, I was going to upload this chapter a little sooner, but... Well, let's just say two vampire hunters, a swordsman, a creature of pure Phazon and a big green crocodile wearing a cape and crown happened.**


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